Make a Fake Pocket Knife for Safety Demonstrations

When discussing pocket knife safety with Cub Scouts, I found it helpful to have them demonstrate their knowledge with a fake cardboard knife before putting a real knife in their hands. We made the fake pocket knives first. Then we put some lipstick on the “blade” of the knife. They practiced opening, closing, and pretend carving with the cardboard pocket knife. Then they checked their hands for lipstick “cuts”.

This was a fun, hands-on method to go over the safety rules. They were engaged and I could see if they knew how to use their knives correctly before we moved on to carving with real knives.

How to Make a Fake Pocket Knife

Materials

• Cardboard
• Scissiors
• Brad

Directions

1. Cut the handle and blade shapes as shown on the left. The handle is all one piece.  The shapes don’t have to be exact. Make them the size of a real pocketknife.
2. Punch holes in the cardboard where indicated by the black dots.
3. Fold the handle along the center line.
4. Insert the blade into the handle, aligning the hole in the blade with the holes in the handle. Remember to orient the blade so that it is facing the same direction as it would in an actual knife.
5. Use a brad to attach the blade to the handle.

Your knife should look something like the image below and you should be able to “open” and “close” it.